by Iliev, Neven
The shapeshifter had no idea why or how it worked that way, but that didn’t stop it from abusing the ‘loophole.’ That said, using both the Steel Ring of Greater Matter Disruption and the Steel Ring of Greater Featherweight took some getting used to. It was shockingly easy for the thrice-lighter Boxxy to accidentally launch itself into the air if it put too much energy in its step. The ‘floaty’ feeling it felt was both irritating and uncomfortable, but nothing a creature with the patience of a dungeon mimic couldn’t handle. Though not ideal, this solution was necessary if it hoped to mask its abnormal weight during the more… physically involved aspects of its daily routine.
As Boxxy lay there and silently allowed Rowana to have her fill of cuddling, it realized something. Doppelgangers had supposedly been more common in the past, at least according to what that beholder mentioned at the border town shortly before it crossed the border. How did they deal with issues like these? Surely not all of them had to resort to moderately expensive magic items, right? Did they avoid forging fake relationships because of that?
Thinking it could learn something from their mistakes, Boxxy decided it would do some research on the subject. It knew just the place too. There was a shared library in the Central Consortium building that all associated guilds had access to, and that was bound to have some good information. The shapeshifter had only recently gotten the hang of reading, and was rather eager to put its newly-acquired literacy to the test.
Filled with motivation, it tried to get out of bed, but Rowana pulled it back in.
“Nuh-uh!” the elf said indignantly. “You’re not going anywhere until I’ve given you enough cuddles to chase away the bad dreams.”
It could easily break out of her grasp of course, but doing so would not be in Keira’s character.
“But Rowie! I have things to dooo!” it whined in a rather childish tone.
“Not today, you don’t. You told me your class was taking a break, remember?”
“Right. I did do that,” the catgirl admitted somewhat bitterly. “What about you? Don’t you have work soon?”
Despite Boxxy’s turbulent awakening, it was still late enough in the morning to be about a half hour before Rowana’s shift at the clinic was supposed to start.
“Nope. Took the day off.”
“Uh… Okay. Why?”
“Because I want today to be all about us, and nobody else,” the elf tightened her hug.
Her behavior made Boxxy consider whether it had overdone it with the Pheromone Control Skill it had unlocked at Level 10 of its Doppelganger Job. It used the ability to cloud Rowana’s judgement by subtly and constantly subjecting her to a mild airborne aphrodisiac. The goal was to use lust and sex as substitutions for genuine romantic feelings, at least until the monster learned to fully emulate them. At least this had been Xera’s intent when she wholeheartedly suggested this method.
This supposedly temporary measure seemed to have an unforeseen side effect—making Rowana lewder and clingier with each passing day. Only now did Boxxy consider the possibility that prolonged exposure to a doppelganger’s emotion-influencing pheromones could have had a profound impact on the elf’s psyche. Neither it nor its Snack had any idea how to handle this, so it decided to lower the dosage for the time being.
It wasn’t going to stop, though. Its Doppelganger Job gained Levels not through killing or crafting, but infiltration. In more practical terms, this meant the creature needed to ‘harvest’ feelings of trust, love, companionship and other such silly emotions from unsuspecting people. Having Rowana both fawning over and lusting after Keira had been a major contributor in that regard, and Boxxy couldn’t care less if the unsuspecting woman turned into a gibbering wreck in the process. The only thing it cared about was increasing its Level, even if that meant playing along with the elf’s bothersome requests.
The shapeshifter therefore decided to do just that and twisted around within Rowana’s embrace so the two of them were face-to-face.
“Alright, I guess I’ll keep you company for the day,” the redhead said with a small smile.
“You don’t have to indulge me, you know,” the elf stated firmly. “If you don’t want to, then-”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Keira reassured her. “I was just a bit surprised. I’m… not used to someone caring about me so much. That’s all.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, this is a bit new to me, too.”
“Waaaait a minute. Didn’t you say you’ve had other girlfriends before?”
“Yeah, but none of them could make my heart race quite like you do.”
Admittedly that was mostly due to her heightened libido reacting to Keira’s engineered attractiveness, but Boxxy wasn’t about to point that out.
“… You mean that?” the redhead asked in a more somber tone.
“Of course, I do.”
“But you barely even know me.”
“Maybe, but that’s just how I feel.”
“But what if I do something stupid? Like if I break another law, or get you fired, or-”
The elf pressed her forehead against her lover’s and looked her straight in the eyes.
“Let me put this as simply as possible. You complete me, Keira Morgana. Nothing’s gonna change that.”
The girl’s face flushed with embarrassment, making her bronze cheeks grow a few shades darker.
“Got that, love?”
“Y-yeah…”
Though it looked too flustered for words on the outside, Boxxy cackled gleefully in its mind. Just how dumb could this elf possibly be? Stumbling onto her had been a tremendous stroke of luck. Frankly speaking, it would’ve tried to bamboozle some lonely sucker regardless of who they were. Rowana Slyth just happened to be the first one it had caught in its fuzzy-eared trap. It hadn’t expected her to so eagerly eat up this ‘Keira’ bullshit, but it wasn’t about to look a gift chest in the hinges.
Unfortunately, the shapeshifter realized too late that this mockery of a relationship had a downside to it. According to what that girl Lia said, a considerable number of elves viewed same-sex couples as unnatural and borderline heretical. The thought that such an opinion could exist hadn’t even crossed Boxxy’s mind. After all, its familiars ‘got along’ quite well and both of them were technically female, so it failed to see how Keira and Rowana becoming lovers could be an issue. The risk of being ostracized by society at large because of something silly like that was, put simply, not tasty.
That oversight was hardly a deal-breaker though. Rowana was far too convenient an XP farm for Boxxy to just dump her. Besides, this situation could potentially be turned into an advantage. Masquerading as ‘the girl fighting for her forbidden love’ would serve as Keira’s excuse to seek fame and fortune as an adventurer. Establishing its public persona as a reliable Ranger would help it gain influence and connections, which translated into powerful items and valuable information. Not only that, but the gold and Levels earned while ‘on the job’ would be quite shiny and tasty.
And to that end, it thought it was perhaps time to take things a step further.
“Say Rowie… will you go out on a date with me?”
In other words, if others were to believe Keira truly cared about the elf, then the two of them would need to be seen in public together. Plus, it seriously didn’t want to spend the whole day cooped up in a tiny house, even if just to appease this woman.
“A date? But what about… you know…” she hesitated.
“I don’t care what people think. If you want to spend the day being romantic, then do it right.”
The elf looked troubled by this proposal, but it was rare for Keira to be so assertive and she found it nigh-impossible to refuse without a good reason.
“Okay,” she consented after a pause.
“Yay!”
“But no kissing in public!” the elf quickly added.
“Aw… What about nuzzles?”
“Excuse me, what?”
Keira smiled, pulled Rowana
closer, and affectionately rubbed her cheek against hers.
“Okay! N-none of that either!” the elf stammered in surprise.
“Meanie,” the catgirl pulled away with a pout.
“Look, this is just how things are, so bear with it, okay?”
“I know, I know,” Keira reassured her. “Honestly, I don’t think I’d have the courage to do that stuff in front of others even if it were… er… accepted.”
“I can’t say the same, though,” Rowana smirked while gently rubbing her lover’s lower back. “It’s really hard for me to keep my hands off you.”
“R-Rowie? What are you- Ahn!”
“Hehe, I’m just getting it out of my system!”
After a quick morning romp, the two of them got up and got dressed. Rowana cleaned up and prepared breakfast with Keira lending a hand. Boxxy didn’t usually find ‘people food’ to be particularly tasty unless there was meat involved, so it made sure to establish Keira’s character as a voracious meat eater. As it turned out, meat was rather expensive, meaning it would often have to make do without. After all, Keira was supposed to have been extremely poor before arriving to Azurvale, with barely enough money to pay for her Ranger training and equipment. Someone like that couldn’t afford eating meat every meal, and Rowana was far too frugal to spend her entire apothecary’s salary on such ‘frivolities.’
Boxxy was therefore forced to endure the elf’s cooking. It wasn’t as if the dishes she prepared tasted bad. In fact, it they were pretty good when compared to other ‘people food’ the shapeshifter had sampled. However, none of it could compare to the flavor and sensation of ripping freshly killed human flesh off the bone.
After a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, jam and porridge, the two of them put on their town clothes and went out into the city. Rowana wore a modest, long, navy blue dress while Keira wore her guild-issued green tunic and custom-tailored leather pants with a special opening in the back for her tail. She would have put on her chainmail armor as well if Rowana hadn’t reminded her not to.
“We really need to get you some new clothes,” the elf declared. “You only have two outfits, and both of them are so… bland.”
“Uh… I’d like to, but I don’t have much money left over from that pest control expedition a few days back.”
Even if they were trainees, the guild still paid Keira and her class for their assistance with termite control. The hylt tree farm was a source of timber and fruit for the city as well as the surrounding area, so it was important to look after it. Unfortunately for the students, their pay wasn’t much since part of it went towards their training fees. While their earnings were enough to secure food, water, and simple clothing, they were still expected to do menial Quests around town if they hoped to earn enough for rent or better equipment. Things like fashionable outfits were considered luxury goods as far as trainee adventurers were concerned.
“Who said you’d be paying for them?” Rowana raised an eyebrow. “I’m the one that wants to see you in cute clothes, so I’ll handle the bill.”
“You, uh, sure you can afford it?”
“Really, Keira? I may be living humbly, but that doesn’t mean I’m some pauper who’s struggling to survive.”
“I know; I just think there are better things to spend money on.”
Like meat, the shapeshifter added internally.
“Just shut up and let me buy my girlfriend a gift.”
“Alright, alright. Today will be your treat. Happy?”
“Very,” the elf beamed. “Let’s go.”
Boxxy followed her out of the small house, mildly satisfied that it didn’t need to spend any of its funds on this outing. Admittedly, it did hoard enough valuables inside its Storage to buy an entire mansion, but it didn’t accumulate so much wealth by spending it on something as un-shiny as fancy clothes. Wait, could clothes be shiny? Just because it hadn’t looked for any didn’t mean they didn’t exist. Now that it thought about it, it vaguely remembered hearing something about gold-threaded fabrics. And if gold could be incorporated, what about mithril? Or gems? Or both?!
Needless to say, the shapeshifter suddenly felt a lot more motivated to go on this ‘date.’
[Ambrosia: Milord, we hath finished establishing milady Fizzy’s workshop.]
An update from Boxxy’s new ‘employee’ interrupted it while it was in the middle of imagining a wildly unrealistic cloak made entirely out of diamonds. The shapeshifter changed mental gears and processed the news. Its orders had been carried out in a relatively short time span, which was good. However, something struck it as rather odd.
[Boxxy: How come you’re the one telling me this and not Snack or Arms?]
Its familiars were the only ones with the authority and ability to carry out the task in question, yet neither of them mentioned anything.
[Ambrosia: We had a friendly competition to see which one of us would relay the good news.]
[Ambrosia: I won.]
[Boxxy: Is it really that big a deal?]
[Ambrosia: Indubitably. We art all eager for milord’s favor.]
[Boxxy: Okay, if you say so.]
[Boxxy: What about Fizzy? Does she have everything she needs?]
[Ambrosia: No, milord. She claims she requires additional materials and specialized tools.]
[Boxxy: Can she get those on her own?]
[Ambrosia: Verily. She is currently on her way to secure them.]
[Boxxy: Very good. I’ll come back to check on the workshop later tonight.]
There was a brief pause before the next message came through.
[Ambrosia: Milord, forgive mine insolence, but I feel I must protest.]
[Boxxy: About what?]
[Ambrosia: I find thy mechanical servant’s very existence to be offensive.]
[Boxxy: What? Why?]
[Ambrosia: She is most unnatural, an affront to all that lives and grows.]
[Boxxy: I see.]
It would appear that trees and golems did not mix. It made sense, in a way.
[Boxxy: Will this be a problem?]
[Ambrosia: Tis a vexing circumstance to be sure.]
[Boxxy: Vexing or not, she’s one of my valuable belongings.]
[Ambrosia: I am aware, milord. Tis why I hath not yet ejected her from the dungeon.]
[Boxxy: Can’t you just ignore her or something?]
[Ambrosia: Of course, I can.]
[Boxxy: Then why mention all the ‘unnatural’ stuff?
[Ambrosia: I simply wished to inform milord of-]
“Keira?”
Rowana’s voice startled Boxxy, momentarily pulling it away from its chat with the dryad.
“What is it, Rowie?” it asked dumbly.
“Are you alright? You seemed worried about something. Not to mention awfully silent.”
It would appear the shapeshifter was so preoccupied with its internal conversation that it had neglected its role as Keira, which the elf immediately picked up on.
“No, no, I’m fine. I just spaced out for a bit. You were saying?”
“I asked what sort of colors you liked. You know, for your outfit?”
“Oh. Huh. Never thought about it, actually. Hmm…”
Keira furrowed her brows and cupped her chin in thought while Boxxy finished its conversation with the dryad.
[Ambrosia: I simply wished to inform milord of mine honest opinion.]
[Boxxy: Okay. Will it help if I tell her to be as quiet as possible and stay out of your way?]
[Ambrosia: It would be most appreciated.]
[Boxxy: I’ll do that, then.]
With that settled, the shapeshifter turned its attention back to Rowana and her thoroughly trivial question. It was such an inconsequential inquiry that it saw no reason to bother with a lie and would, for once, give her an honest answer. The only issue was that the monster didn’t exactly have a favorite colour, so it instead listed the colors of its favorite things.
“Royal yellow, I guess? Or maybe pure white. Deep crimson i
s also good.”
Namely gold, mithril, and blood.
“Hm, I figured you’d like warm and vibrant colors like those,” the elf nodded sagely. “Alright, I think I know just the place!”
She grabbed Keira by the hand and dragged her up the long set of stairs they had been climbing for the past few minutes. This wooden staircase had been built directly into the side of the titanic hylt tree, and served to connect Rowana’s house to the street-sized branch that loomed over it.
‘Street-sized’ was a very apt descriptor, as the elves had turned the gigantic limb, and many more like it, into a literal boulevard. A constant stream of pedestrians walked the paved middle portion of the branch, ducking in and out of the various shops, restaurants and markets lining its edges. A long and wide layer of canopy stretched overhead, giving the impression that the entire thing had been built in a green tunnel.
The beastkin-elf couple walked casually down the road, and it wasn’t before long that Boxxy noticed something… odd.
“Is it me, or is the ground moving?” it asked as Keira.
“Hm? Oh, that’s just the sway. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” Rowana reassured it.
“… Sway?”
“Yeah. We’re on a branch. Those tend to sway in the wind.”
“But I don’t feel any wind.”
“Because the leaves, bark, and buildings absorb it all.”
“Uh-huh… Say, Rowie?”
“No, it’s not going to suddenly fall off.”
The elf went on to explain that Keira’s concerns were understandable, but entirely unnecessary. Yes, a residential branch snapping off would have catastrophic consequences for everyone living on and beneath it. That was why the city had a dedicated group of specialists regularly inspect the integrity of all major hylt branches since time immemorial. It had been thanks to their collective and ongoing efforts that Azurvale has never experienced a ‘catastrophic collapse scenario,’ as Rowana put it.
“And anyway, these are the oldest hylt trees in the world,” the elf chuckled as she rounded off her explanation. “I doubt anything other than an elder dragon could break these branches.”
